Definition
拉夫 is a historical verb-object compound (v.o.) meaning 'to press-gang or forcibly conscript laborers or soldiers', especially common in descriptions of the warlord era (c. 1910s–1920s) when armed groups would drag men off the streets into service. 拉 means 'to pull/drag', 夫 means 'man/laborer'. As a separable verb, measure words or complements can split it: 拉过几次夫 ('pressed-ganged several times'). The term is now mostly used in historical or literary contexts, not in everyday conversation.
v.o.
to press-gangto forcibly conscript (usually for military or labor service)
Examples
- ，拉夫。Nà nián jūnfá hùnzhàn, dàochù dōu zài lā fū.During the warlord conflicts that year, press-ganging was happening everywhere.
- ，。Tā niánqīng shí bèi lā guò yí cì fū, bèi pò dāng le sān gè yuè bīng.When he was young, he was press-ganged once and forced to serve as a soldier for three months.
- 。Zhè běn shū xiángxì miáoxiě le mínguó shíqī lā fū de xiànxiàng.This book describes in detail the phenomenon of press-ganging during the Republican era.
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